What impact has Amazon made on the modern wholesale industry?

· wholesale,retail,amazon

When book retail giant Borders closed its doors in 2011, many quickly pointed to the rise of Amazon. The online marketplace power quickly contributed to the irrelevancy of brick-and-mortar locations like Borders, providing convenience that these businesses simply could not provide.

Since then, Amazon’s reach has grown exponentially, as exemplified by their recent acquisition of Whole Foods. Many have mixed feeling about the acquisition; while the level of convenience for the consumer is undeniable, as exemplified by the recent lowering of prices at Whole Foods, such a move also smacks of monopoly. How will this acquisition impact wholesale distribution? Here are a few things to think about:

The age of just brick-and-mortar is a thing of the past. For retailers to succeed, they can no longer rely on brick-and-mortar, but that’s not to say that they should strictly be an online store.